Flat product

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a flat product for the treatment of the skin and/or wounds, more particularly a cotton pad, comprising at least one surface for treatment. The invention aims at improving said product in such a way that it has at least two outer surface areas with different properties.

The invention concerns a flat product for skin and/or wound treatment and for baby care, especially a cotton pad, with at least one treatment surface.

Products of this type are widely used for applying or removing cosmetic products or for treating wounds, for example, for swabbing wound secretions, and can also be used for baby care. When the previously known products are used for these purposes, they are often found to have deficient product properties with respect to absorption and/or the release of additives, such as for wound secretions and/or cosmetics. Furthermore, in many cases the use of the known products is associated with product damage in the form of cracking or the like.

In light of the above problems associated with prior-art products, the objective of the invention is to develop a flat product of the type described above, which has satisfactory product properties for various applications. At the same time, adequate product stability must be ensured.

In accordance with the invention, this objective is achieved by a further development of the previously known products, which is basically characterized by the fact that the product has at least two outer surface areas with different properties.

This invention is based on the surprisingly simple recognition that satisfactory product properties under different conditions of use can be ensured by providing the product itself with optimized product regions for different conditions of use. In this regard, each of the two outer surface areas may be a treatment surface. Alternatively or additionally, at least one of the outer surface areas can also be designed as reinforcement for the product to prevent damage during use. All together, then, the products of the invention allow, on the one hand, adaptation to different conditions of use and, on the other hand, increased stability.

To provide the desired properties, the outer surface areas can differ from each other with respect to their material, their texture, and/or their color. This includes especially embodiments in which outer surface areas that differ from each other with respect to their material and/or their texture are distinguished by suitable coloration.

In accordance with the invention, it is also possible to produce flat products in which a contact surface has two different outer surface areas. However, especially with respect to inexpensive production, it has been found to be especially effective for the outer surface areas to be formed in the area of opposite contact surfaces of the product, and preferably to completely constitute these contact surfaces, because products of this type can be realized in especially simple form as laminates or layered structures. In regard to the high degree of skin tolerance that is generally desired, it is especially advantageous if at least one of the outer surface areas consists mainly, i.e., at least 50%, of cotton. In accordance with the invention, however, it is also possible to use embodiments in which one of the outer surface areas consists of 100% cotton, while another outer surface area has other fibers that constitute 50% or more of the material. Furthermore, especially when products of the invention are to be used for removing cosmetic products, it has been found to be advantageous if at least one of the outer surface areas, which consists, for example, of cotton, is embossed or grooved or has some other type of surface texture, which can be produced, for example, by the action of water jets striking a suitable cotton layer or by other suitable technological means.

Depending on the intended application and/or to achieve satisfactory stability, the product of the invention may also have at least one outer surface area that consists at least partly of synthetic fibers. Especially desirable properties can be produced in this way if this outer surface area consists at least partially of a nonwoven material, especially a nonwoven polyester material. Furthermore, it is also possible to use coverings formed at least partially from cellulose as the outer surface area. The invention also includes the use of bonded fabrics in mixtures of synthetic and/or natural fibers, and all bonded fabrics that can be used in accordance with the invention can be consolidated thermally, chemically, and/or with water jets. In this connection, bonded fabrics with weights starting at 15 g/m² can be used. As was explained above, at least one of the outer surface areas can be colored, so that the different outer surface areas can be readily distinguished. Especially with the use of products of the invention with an outer surface area formed from cotton fibers, it has been found to be advantageous with respect to obtaining satisfactory stability if this outer surface area has a carded fibrous web in which the individual fibers are aligned in a preferred direction.

As was mentioned earlier, products of the invention with a layered structure can be realized especially simply from the standpoint of manufacturing technology. The layered structure in products that consist at least partially of cotton fibers has a layer of cotton that consists of at least one cotton ply. With respect to obtaining good stability and simultaneously ensuring satisfactory absorption capacity, it has been found to be especially advantageous if the layer of cotton has at least two carded cotton webs, between which a randomly ordered nonwoven material is arranged, or if all of the plies consist of carded webs. The stability can be increased without adversely affecting the absorption properties of the layer of cotton if two carded cotton plies are arranged on each side of the randomly ordered nonwoven material. If the product of the invention has an outer surface that consists at least partially of synthetic fibers, the layered structure can be realized especially simply if at least one, preferably colored, nonwoven polyester material is provided in the aforementioned nonwoven variants. A further increase in the stability of the products of the invention can be realized if at least one layer of the layered structure is consolidated with a water jet consolidation installation.

An example of a process for producing products of the invention with an outer surface area that consists of cotton fibers is explained below. Cotton supplied in the form of fiber bales is used as the raw material for producing this product. These fiber bales are opened and broken into tufts with opener rolls and chute feeders. The tufts are then pneumatically conveyed through pipelines to the filling layers of a total of four carding machines. A total of four fiber webs that can be used to produce products of the invention are produced with these carding machines. An additional layer of the product of the invention is prepared with another machine (Rando random nonwoven carding machine). A different type of cotton is opened with this machine, and a so-called random order nonwoven material is produced. The next step is to use the four fibrous webs that are already present and the randomly ordered nonwoven material to produce a layer of cotton, in which each ply of the randomly ordered nonwoven material is arranged as an intermediate web or middle web between two cotton webs (upper ply/lower ply). The two lower plies have a weight of about 15 g/m² each. The upper webs and upper random nonwoven plies preferably have about the same weight. It has been found to be especially effective if the intermediate ply has a weight of 170 g/m². The total weight of the nonwoven cotton material is then 230 g/m². In the next production step, this layer of cotton is covered with a layer that forms another outer surface area with the particular material properties that are desired. For example, a colored nonwoven polyester material with a weight of 30 g/m² can be inserted into the above nonwoven variant. The finished product then consists of two individual materials, namely, a layer of cotton and a nonwoven polyester material. These individual materials can be conveyed by conveyor belt to a water jet consolidation installation, in which they are consolidated. It is advantageous to carry out the consolidation with a water inlet pressure of 10 bars for the premoistening and 38 bars for both the upper web and the lower web. In addition, the contact surface of the layer of cotton that is not covered with the nonwoven polyester material is subjected to the action of water jets to produce grooving (groove spacing 1-4 mm) by the water jets that are formed. The resulting product has an outer surface made of cotton with a grooved texture and a second outer surface in the form of a nonwoven polyester material on the opposite side from the first outer surface. The nonwoven material that has been subjected to the action of the water jets and is still soaked with water is then dried in a perforated cylinder drier at 140° C. to a residual moisture content of 3%. The intermediate product obtained in this way is fabricated into four individual rolls with a width of 20 cm each. These individual rolls are rolled in a length of 450 running meters per roll. The basic material obtained in this way is then introduced into suitable punching devices, in which the finished pads are punched out. It is advantageous for this finishing step to be carried out with several finishing tools, say, in a three-hole punch.

The residual material left over after the punching operation is subjected to a separating operation, in which the two layers, namely, the layer of nonwoven polyester material and the layer of cotton are separated from each other. The nonwoven layer is rolled separately. The cotton layer is returned to the material circulation, where it is used to produce especially the intermediate ply.

As explained above, the process for producing products of the invention is basically characterized by the fact that two layers or plies with different properties are laminated and possibly subjected to an additional treatment. In this connection, these layers may be consolidated, for example, with a water jet consolidation installation before, during, and/or after the lamination operation. In addition, at least one of the layers can also be provided with texturing, for example, in the form of a grooved texture.

However, the invention is not limited to the products produced by the production process that was explained in detail above, but rather it is also possible to use products, in which the nonwoven polyester material is replaced by a different nonwoven material that consists at least partly of synthetic fibers, or by cellulose. Moreover, in some cases it is sufficient if only one of the layers is consolidated. The consolidation and/or texturing can also be realized by other means, for example, with a roll press or the like. Finally, the weights of the individual nonwoven materials can vary. The range of variation for each nonwoven material may be 50% or more of the specified values. Especially good results are obtained if the range of variation is less than 20%, and especially less than 10%, of the specified values. 

1. Flat product for skin and/or wound treatment, especially a cotton pad, with at least one treatment surface, wherein the product has at least two outer surface areas with different properties.
 2. Product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the outer surface areas differ from each other with respect to their material, their texture, and/or their color.
 3. Product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the outer surface areas are formed in the area of opposite contact surfaces of the product and preferably completely constitute these contact surfaces.
 4. Product in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the outer surface areas consists mainly, i.e., at least 50%, of cotton.
 5. Product in accordance with claim 4, wherein at least one of the outer surface areas has grooving or some other type of surface texture, which is preferably produced by the action of water jets.
 6. Product in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the outer surface areas consists at least partly of synthetic fibers.
 7. Product in accordance with claim 6, wherein the outer surface area that consists at least partly of synthetic fibers is a nonwoven material, especially a nonwoven polyester material, in which the synthetic fiber content is preferably at least 50%.
 8. Product in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the outer surface areas has a covering that is formed, for example, at least partially from cellulose.
 9. Product in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the outer surface areas is colored.
 10. Product in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the outer surface areas comprises a carded fiber web.
 11. Product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the product has a layered structure.
 12. Product in accordance with claim 11, wherein the layered structure has a layer of cotton that has at least one cotton ply, which preferably has a weight of at least 50 g/m2.
 13. Product in accordance with claim 12, wherein the layer of cotton has at least two carded cotton webs, between which a randomly ordered nonwoven material is arranged.
 14. Product in accordance with claim 12, wherein two carded cotton plies are arranged on each side of the randomly ordered nonwoven material.
 15. Product in accordance with claim 11, wherein the layered structure has at least one, preferably colored, nonwoven polyester material.
 16. Product in accordance with claim 11, wherein at least one ply is consolidated, preferably with a water jet consolidation installation. 